Although a lot of UX workflow and design tools have been released recently, Sketch is one of the most popular user interface and UX design tools out there.

But to use it effectively, you'll need to learn how to navigate your way through Sketch. That's why we’ve found the best paid and free Sketch courses, so you can delve into Sketch without fuss.

What is Sketch?

Sketch – now Sketch 3 – is a powerful design tool for Mac (it requires Mac OS X 10.11+) entirely focused on hosting user interface design, websites and icons – design which is a fundamental part of any rebrand, campaign or product launch. With a digital first society, skills of a graphic and UX designer can overlap. Most projects will involve creating an app, social media launch, website or icon – just read our interview with Possible's executive creative director Pablo Marques to get an idea of what to expect from a creative team working in digital strategy for 2017.

Sketch can be used to create brilliant digital designs, whether for mobile or desktop, and – as new resources and plugins are almost constantly produced (such as InVision's plugin allowing the ability to build lightweight mobile prototypes directly in Sketch) – is a great way to keep up with the industry and stay current. In Sketch you can create vectors, layers, text, pages and artboards, grids and Bitmap editing. Exporting your design can be done with built-in exporting tools and you can check to make sure everything works with a real-time preview on your device.

Sketch is popular, but it’s not as established (or expensive) as Photoshop, which has a lifetime’s worth of official and – largely – unofficial reading material. We’ve scoured the web to help you tackle one of the most popular UX design tools around.

How to buy Sketch?

To use Sketch, download the free trial or buy for £93.90/US$99 (which includes one year of free updates).

If you want to learn how to apply your newly found Sketch knowledge with the user in mind, check out the11 best UX design courses.

Whether you’re a confident old-timer or a timid beginner, want to sharpen already existing skills or create totally new ones, we’ve got the tutorial, course or website best for you to learn Sketch.

Paid online courses

Lynda.com

Lynda.com is a popular website, brimming with videos and courses to learn skills across business, software, technology and the creative industries. Learn Sketch: The Basics – aimed at designers of all skill level – is a great place to start if you want to learn Sketch and covers everything from logos to wireframes, logos to mockups.

Treehouse

Treehouse is a leading online learning platform for technology. Unsurprisingly, then, its Sketch Basics courseis one of the best – probably partly because it was created with the help of the official Sketch team. Though it focuses on the basics, it touches on the more advanced features of Sketch too – so perfect for old-hands who want a reminder and beginners who want to stretch themselves.

Udemy

With over 40,000 courses and over a million students, Udemy is a pay-per-course website you’ve probably heard of. It has courses on pretty much anything, including plenty on Sketch.

The best Sketch courses it offers include Mobile App Design In Sketch 3: UX and UI Design From Scratch, which – at the time of writing – more than 23,600 students have enrolled on, and give consistently great reviews, naming the course as a wonderful introduction to Sketch 3. You can enrol for £12/ around US$15.90.

Pluralsight

Pluralsight is sleek, smooth and has a smaller selection of high-quality courses that isn’t overwhelming in quantity. Introduction to Sketchby freelance illustrator Jay Boucher is a really easy way to learn the basics of Sketch, as it uses a real, concrete example, which you can follow along with. As well as video, students can use hands-on exercises as they follow the tutorial.

TutsPlus

TutsPlus is a cheaper alternative to the giant, online learning houses we’ve seen so far. In terms of the sheer number of materials on offer, with over 20,750 videos, tutorials or inspirational content, TutsPlus has few rivals beyond Udemy. With the cheapness, though, comes not as tip-top customer support – and none of the assignments or tests seen in other online courses.

You can check out all the TutsPlus Sketch tutorials, but our favourite is Sketch App for Beginners: Envato at Pause Fest. Though it's only one hour long, sometimes less is more (as UX designers should know), and it serves as a really great overview to the Mac app. Practical UI Design with Sketchis also a great way to cover workflow and UI. Though it’s fast-paced, you can pause and rewind.

SketchCasts

Easy and not too time-consuming, SketchCasts are a series of weekly video tutorials on web and mobile design, new plugins and more in-depth topics such as colours – and it's all to do with Sketch. It really is a gem. But a cheap gem – even better. Subscriptions even come with a private Slack Team so you can chat, ask all the questions you want and make some pretty great contacts.

Free online courses

LearnSketch.com

Learn Sketch has dedicated its whole existence, including its name, to helping you learn Sketch. For free. And it really is worth checking out, whether you want to manage tonnes of layers, bring flat icons to life, or simply find out what the hell Sketch is. Though it’s tutorials come in the form of suspicious-looking YouTube tutorials (we’ve seen those overly long, painfully slow, pointless videos too), don't be put off: LearnSketch tutorials come from Sketch professionals and are endorsed by Bohemian Coding.

You’re not going to become a Sketch master through LearnSketch.com, but it’s a great way to get to grips with the areas you find tricky, get some freebies and be privy to some cool tricks and tips. Its resources are also constantly growing, so it’s worth checking back for more goodies every now and then.

Sketch App Sources

Sketch App Sources has masses of Sketch tutorials and tips, plugins and articles. Stand out examples include 10 Sketch Tips, which is a quick read that uses visuals really well to explain its ideas, and Get Started in 5 Minutes. Literally 5 minutes. The tutorial wastes no time at all. Sketch App Sources isn’t where you want to learn the entirety of Sketch, but it’s a great place to check for quick tips or if you have a specific problem.